Railway switch operating apparatus



July 31,1945. H L BO E 2,380,820

RAILWAY SWITCH OPERATING APPARATUS Filed March. 18, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet1 IN VENTOR HPbPft Z. 50179.

W BY

Hf!" ATTORNEY A July 31 1945. H. 1.. BONE 4 RAILWAY SWITCH OPERATINGAPPARATUS Filed March 18 1944 s Sheet s-Sheet 2 I 5 57d 52 "Eg INVENTORv Z' Pberf Z. 5012?. 6L1

Hf) ATTORNE Y July 31, 1945. H, ONE 2,380,820

RAILWAY SWITCH OPERATING APPARATUS Filed March 18, 1944 '5 Sheets-Sheet3 IN VEN TOR BY 421M HLP ATTORNEY Patented July 31, 1945 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFlCE 2,380,820 RAILWAY swrrcn OPERATING APPARATUS Herbert L.Bone, Forest Hills, Pa., assignor to The Union Switch & Signal Company,Swissvale, Pa", a corporation of Pennsylvania Application March 18,1944, Serial No. 527,041

6 Claims. (Cl. 246-290) My invention relates to railway switch operatingapparatus, and particularly to apparatus for operating spring switchesequipped with a facing point lock the locking plunger of which is biasedto a locking position in which it locks the switch points in theirnormal set positions and is arranged to be automatically operated to anun- 7 locking position to unlock the switch when a train trails theswitch through the medium of lock releasing linkage mechanicallyactuated by the train.

One object of my invention is the provision in apparatus of the typedescribed-of novel means for moving the locking plunger of the lock toits unlocking position when a train trails the switch.

Another object of my invention is to so construct the lock releasinglinkage in apparatus of the type described that the locking plunger ofthe lock when it is once moved to itsunlocking position by a trailingtrain will be held steady in its unlocking position until it issubsequently restored to its locking position to reduce wear on theparts.

Another object of my invention is to provide a novel crank stand formingpart of the lock releasing linkage, which stand is effective upon apredetermined initial movement of the switch points away from theirinitially set position by a trailing train to move the locking plungerof the lock to its unlocking position, and to thereafter prevent anyfurther movement of the locking plunger during the remainder of thetrailing movement, and also to prevent the transmission to the switchpoints after they become unlocked of any force due to the spring meanswhich biases the locking plunger to its locking position.

According to my invention, I replace the bell crank which is commonlyemployed in the lock releasing linkage of one well-known form of facingpoint lock of the type described with a cam crank stand employing aroller attached to an operating rod responsive to the displacement ofthe switch points from their normal set positions and cooperating with acam crank operatively connected with the locking plunger of the lock.The cam crank is provided on both sides with cam surfaceaand is soconstructed that it can be assembled in the stand in either of twopositions in one of which the roller will cooperate with the camsurfaces on one side of the crank and in the other of which the rollerwill cooperate with the cam surfaces on the other side of the crank. Thecrank stand is also so constructed that it can be mounted with eitherside up. The ability to reverse the cam crank 01' the crank standcoupled with the ability to mount the crank stand with either side upenables the stand to be used on either side of the switch regardless ofwhether the switch point nearest the stand is normally open or normallyclosed. The cam surfaces are so constructed and the parts are soproportioned that when a train starts to trail the switch, apredetermined initial movement of the operating rod will cause theroller to cooperate with the cam crank to rotate it far enough to unlockthe switch, but that any further movement of the operating rod will notproduce any further movement of the locking plunger. Furthermore, theparts are so proportioned that when the locking plunger is once moved toits unlocking position, the stand will act to effectively prevent anyforce due to the biasing means for the locking plunger from beingtransmitted to the movable switch rails until these switch rails havebeen restored to substantially their initially set positions.

' Other objects and characteristic features of my invention will becomeapparent as the description proceeds.

I shall describe one form of apparatus embodying my invention, and shallthen point out the novel features thereof in claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a top plan view showing a springswitch controlled by a switch operating mechanism including a facingpoint lock the locking plunger of which is operatively connected withthe movable points of the switch through the medium of lock releasinglinkage embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view on an enlargedscale of a cam crank "stand constructed in accordance with my inven- Iand la are laid on tie plates 3 and are secured to crossties 4 in theusual manner. 'The movable rails 2 and 2a are fastened together by afront rod 5, a head rod 6, a bridle rod I and a tie rod 8, and may bemoved into a normal or a reverse position by means of a switch operatingmechanism B which is connected with the head rod 6 through the medium ofan operating rod 9 and a springconnecting rod 0. When the switchoccupies its normal position in which position it is shown in Fig. 1,the movable rail 2 engages the fixed rail I, and the movable rail 2a isspaced from the fixed rail la. When the switch is reversed, however, themovable rail 2a then engages the flxed rail la and the movable rail 2 isspaced from the fixed rail I.

The spring connecting rod ,0 may be of any suitable type, but in thewell-known form here illustrated, this connecting rod is similar in allrespects to the spring connecting rod C shown and described in LettersPatent of the United States No. 1,976,827, granted to me onOctober 16,1934,, for Railway switch operating apparatus. It is believed,therefore, that for purposes of my present disclosure it is suilicientto point out that this connecting rod includes spring means which biasesthe switch points to whichever extreme position they are moved to by themechanism B with suflicient force to permit facing point moves over theswitch without displacement of the points, but which yields when a traintrails the switch and thereby allows the train to force the switchpoints to a position opposite to that to which they are biased by thespring means.

The head rod 6 is also connected by means of an adjustable link IS withthe piston rod iii of a bufiing device D. This bufiing device may alsobe of any suitable type but, as here shown, this bufling device issimilar in all respects to the bufling device shown and described inLetters Patent of the United States No. 1,869,604, granted to William C.McWhirter on August 2, 1932, for Buffing devices for railway switchesand the like. It is believed, therefore, that a detail description ofthis device is unnecessary. It should be pointed out, however, that thisbufiing device includes, in addition to the piston rod IS, a cam shafti1 extending into the case of the device and controlling a valvemechanism not shown. Attached to the outer end of the cam shaft I1 is acrank l8 which is connected by a link I! with the spring rod I4 of thespring connecting rod C. If when the movable rails 2 and 2a of theswitch A are in their normal positions, as shown in Fig. Q

1, they are moved to their reverse positions by the a mechanism B, thepiston rod l6 will be moved into the device and the cam shaft |l will berotated in a clockwise direction, as viewed from the left in Fig. 1. Theconstruction of the device is such that, under these conditions, thepiston rod IE will be permitted to move with substantially noresistance, and the bufllng device will therefore exert practically noretarding action on the movable rails. Conversely, if the mo ble railsare moved from their reverse positions to The switch operating member Bis mounted on one end of a tie strap 20 which is secured to the tiesadjacent the outer side of the rail l, and as here shown is similar inall respects to that described and claimed in Letters Patent of theUnited States No. 2,235,031, granted to Kenneth J. J. McGowan on March18, 1941, for Railway switch operating apparatus. Since the constructionof the mechanism is described in detail in the said McGowan patent, itis believed to be suflicient for the purpose of my present applicationto point out that this mechanism includes a hand throw lever 2|connected with a switch operating crank 22 through suitable operatingmechanism not shown in such manner that the operating crank will occupythe normal extreme position shown or will be rotated from this positionin a counterclockwise direction to a reverse extreme position accordingas the hand throw lever occupies the position shown or its oppositeextreme position. The switch. operating crank 22 is operativelyconnected with the previously described operating rod 9.

The mechanism B also includes a locking plunger 23 which cooperates witha notch 24 in a lock rod L to at times lock the switch in its normalposition for facing point moves over the switch. when the hand throwlever 2| occupies the position shown, the locking plunger is yieldablybiased by spring means 25 to a locking position in which it is disposedin the notch 24 in the lock rod L, and under these conditions the switchis locked: but when the hand throw lever is rotated from the positionshown toward the opposite extreme position, the locking plunger iswithdrawn from the notch 24 to unlock the switch before any movement ofthe switch operating crank 22 takes place.

The lock rod L is slidably mounted in suitable guideways formed in thecasing of the mechanism B, and is adiustably secured at one end to the-front rod 8 of the switch A. The notch 24 is so disposed that-it willalign with the locking plunger 23 when and only when the switch Aoccupies the extreme position in which it is shown in the drawings andthe movable rail 2 is in proper engagementwith the fixed rail I.

The parts of the mechanism B are so proportioned that when the handthrow lever 2| occupies its normal position as shown, the spring means28 which moves the locking plunger 23 to its locking position will tendto drive the locking eir normal positions by the mechanism B, the pistonrod It will be moved outwardly and the cam shaft I! will be rotated in acounterclockwise direction,

7 as viewed from the left in Fig. 1, but due to the construction of thedevice, no retarding action will,again take lplace. If, however, whenthe movable rails are in either extreme position, a

train trails the switch, the cam shaft II will remain stationary, andunder these conditions, the action of the device is such that themovement of the movable rails away from the positions which theypreviouslyoccupied will be unresisted by the bumng device, but that,when the plunger beyond the desired locking position. The lockingplungenis prevented from moving beyond the desired locking positionunder these conditions, however, by linkage which connects it with thetie rod 8. As here shown, this linkage includes a plunger bolt 20, aturnbuckle 21, a link 28, a cam crank stand 08 embodying my presentinvention, and an operating rod 28.

The plunger bolt 26 is operatively connected with the locking plunger 22by means which is movable rails are being restored to the positionswhich they previously occupied by the spring not shown, but which issimilar to that described in detail in the aforementioned McGowan PatentNo. 2,235,031, this means being such that when the locking plungeroccupies its locking position, movement of. the plunger bolt 26 upwardlywill cause corresponding ,movement of the locking plunger, but that thelocking plunger is free to move to its unlocking position in response tooperation of the hand lever 2| independently of any movement of theplunger bolt. The plunger bolt is adiustably connected at its outer endwith the link 28 by means of the turnbuckle 20, as will be obvious froman inspection of Fig. 1.

The cam crank stand CS embodying my invention is shown in detail inFigs. 2, 3 and 4. As there illustrated, this crank stand comprises a camcrank 39 pivotally connected at oneend with the link 28, and pivotallymounted at the other end on a pivot pin 30 mounted in a crank standcasting3l'. The crank stand casting 3| is made substantially symmetricalabout the transverse horizontal plane passing through the center of thecasting so that it can be mounted with either side up for apurpose whichwill appear hereinafter, and it is provided with three mounting holes32, 33 and 34 for the reception of suitable mounting bolts orotherequivalent fastening devices. The casting may be secured to anysuitable supporting means, but as shown it is secured to a plate 35which, in turn, is attached to a gage plate 3a and to the tie strap 20upon which the mechanism B is mounted, whereby any loss of adjustmentbetween the parts due to creepage of the ties is prevented. The end ofthe cam crank 39 which is pivotally mounted on the pivot pin 30 isprovided with a bushing 36 (see Fig. 4) to reduce friction and wear, andthe other end is provided with a bushing 3'! (see Fig. 3) for a preventthe pin from turning. The pin 30 is secured in place in the crank standby a cotter 32 to facilitate the ready removal of the pin for a purposewhich will appear presently.

The cam crank is slidably supported adjacent its free end betweenguiding surfaces 3 la and 3|b, and has its fre'eend disposed opposite anopening 3|c in the side wall of the casting 3| through which opening thelink 28 extends into the casting 3| with considerable clearance. The pin33 which connects the-rod 28 with the cam crank is secured in place by acotter key 38 so that it is readilyremovable, and it is provided in oneend with a lubricating fitting 49. Access to the pin may be had throughaligned holes 3|d provided in the casting 3| opposite the ends of thepin 33. These holes are made sufficiently large to enable the pin 33 tobe readily assembled in link 28 with the crank 39 inside the casting 3I.

Formed in the crank stand casting 3| at one side of the pivot pin 30 isan opening 3|e through which the previously mentioned operating rod 29extends into the casting 3|. This rod is secured at one end to tie rod 8by means of a standard switch basket 45, and is provided at the endwhich extends into the casting with a jaw 29a which. receives a pivotpin 44, The pivot pin 44 carries three rollers, two of which 46 and 4'!are disposed on the pivot pin on opposite sides of the jaw prongs, andthe third one of which-48 is disposed on the pivot pin between the jawprongs. The rollers 46 and 41 cooperate respectively with verticallyaligned guideways 3 and3 lg provided in the casting 3| to support thejaw 29 for longitudinal sliding movement within the casting 3| in theverticalposition in which the roller 48 is in lateral alignment with thecam crank 39, while the roller 48 cooperates with cam surfaces formed Onthe contiguousedge of the cam crank. The cam crank is so constructedthat it can be assembled in the crank stand casting with either edgecontiguous to the roller 48 to enable it to be used witheither a closedor an open point layout, as will be explained more fully hereinafter,and to this end, the two cam surfaces 39a and 39b which are formed onone edge of the cam crank are dif-- ferently shaped from the camsurfaces 390 and 39d formed on the other edge of the crank. The rollers46, 41 and 48 are arranged to be lubricated by a lubricating fitting 42'disposed in one end of the pivot pin 44, and pairs of aligned holes 3 I7and 3 k are provided in the casting 3| to provide access to thisfitting. These holes are also used as indices for positioning therollers 46, 4! and 48 in their correct relation to the cam crank 39, aswill subsequently be made clear. The upper ones of the holes 3|a' and3|Ic may be closed by a plate 50 secured in place by a stud 5|;

The plunger bolt 23, turnbuckle 21, link 28, cam crank 39, roller 48,operating rod 29, switch basket 45 and tie rod 3 all constitute meansfor unlocking the switch during a trailing move, as will be made clearpresently.

The switch layout shown in Fig. 1 is a righthand layout in which theright-hand point is normally closed, and for this type of layout the camcrank 39- of the crank stand CS is assembled so that the cam faces 39aand 3% are in position to cooperate with the roller 48. Furthermore, theoperating rod 29 is so adjusted that when the switch points are in theirnormally closed positions, the pivot pin 33 will align axially with theholes 3|d in the cam crank stand casting 3|, This places the roller 48in the proper position with respect to cam face 39a. to insure thecorrect amount of stroke of the locking plunger of the switch operatingmechanism. This adjustment also places pivot pin 44 in approximatealignment with holes 3H for this type of layout, thus placinglubricating fitting 42 where it is accessible. The remainder of thelinkage is so adjusted by means of turnbuckle 21 that when the switchoccupies its normal position the locking plunger will occupy the desiredlocking position Within the notch 23 in the lock rod L.

The operation of the apparatus as a whole is as follows: As was pointedout hereinbefore, when the hand throw lever 2i is rotated to its normalextreme position in which it is shown in the drawings, the switchoperating crank 22 will be rotated to its normal extreme position, andunder these conditions a force is exerted on the movable rails 2 and 2aof the switch throughthe medium of the spring connecting rod C, whichforce yield ably holds the movable rails in their normal extremepositions in which they are shown in Fig. 1. When the movable rails arein their normal extreme positions, the notch 24 in the lock rod L alignswith the lock bar 33, and the lock bar 23 is therefore free to move, dueto the bias of the spring means 25, to its locking position.

When it is desired to reverse the switch, the hand throw lever 2| isrotated from the extreme position shown to its opposite extremeposition.

This movement of the lever first withdraws thelocking plunger 23 fromthe notch 24 in the lock rod L to unlock the switch, and then moves theswitch operating crank 22 from the extreme po sition shown to itsopposite or reverse extreme position. The movement of the switchoperating crank 22 to its reverse extreme position acts through thespring connecting rod C to exert a force on the switch rails which movesthem to and yieldably holds them in their reverse positions. It shouldbe pointed out that as long as the movable rails remain fixed, theroller 48 remains stationary, but the biasing force of the spring means25 acting to hold the cam face 39a of the cam crank against the rollerwill be removed by the action of the mechanism B when the latter hasbeen operated a slight distance from its normal position. The action ofmechanism B will merely remove the spring loading but will not force.the cam crank away from the roller. Pad 55 limits the travel of the camcrank under this unloaded condition. As soon as the movable rails startto move, the resultant movement of the operating rod 29. will actthrough the roller 48 and cam surface 390. to rotate the cam crank 39 ina counterclockwise.direction, and this rotation, in turn, will actthrough the link 28 and turnbuckle 21 to move the plunger bolt in thedirection that the locking plunger was previously moved so that theplunger bolt will eventually assume the same relative position withrespect to the locking plunger that it occupied at the beginning of theoperation of theswitch operating mechanism.

In order to restore the movable rails to their normal positions afterthey have been reversed as above described, the hand throw lever 21 isrestored to the position in which it is shown in Fig. 1. The subsequentmovements of the parts under these conditions are just the reverse ofthose described above, and it is believed, therefore, that the operationof the apparatus under these conditions will be readily understood froman inspection of the drawings without further description.

I shall now assume that the parts are in their normal .positions asshown in the drawings, and that a train trails the switch. As theleading wheels of the train roll along the fixed rail I and the movablerail 2a, the movable rails are forced over laterally, but before asufficient force is developed to overcome the opposing force of thespring connecting rod C and cause the point of the movable rail 2 tomove out of engagement with the fixed rail 1, the movable rails beingsomewhat resilient become bent, and thuscause the tie rod 8 to movetoward the left, as viewed in Fig. 1. This movement of the tie rodcauses a corresponding movement of the operating rod 29, and as aresult, roller 48 cooperates with the cam face 39a of cam crank 39 torotate the cam crank in a counterclockwise direction as viewed inFig. 1. The parts are so proportioned that this initial portion of thestroke of the operating rod 29 will rotate the cam crank 39 far enoughto completely withdraw the looking plunger 23 from the notch 24 in thelock rod L, and it will be apparent, therefore, that when the leadingwheels of the train have reached the positions in which a sufiicientforce is developed to cause the point of the movable rail 2 to move outof engagement with the fixed rail I, the switch points will be unlocked,and the points will therefore be forced open by the wheels in exactlythe same manner as would be the case if no point lock were provided, andthe bufiing device D will perform its normal function of preventing themovable rails from snapping back after the passage of each wheel throughthem. The parts are further so proportioned that upon the completion ofthe initial portion of the stroke of the operating. rod 28, the roller48 will have moved into engagement with the cam face 3%, and that thiscam face will then be parallel to the path of movement of the roller 48.It will be seen, therefore, that after the switch once becomes unlocked,any further movement of the operating rod will not produce any furtherrotation of the cam crank 39. Consequently, any oscillation of theoperating rod resulting from the passage of' successive wheels or trucksof the train will be absorbed in the crank stand, and wear on thelocking plunger and associated parts of the switch operating mechanismwill therefore be materially reduced. Moreover, the crank stand CS willact to efiectively'prevent the transmission to the switch points afterthey have once become unlocked of any force due to the spring meanswhich biases the locking plunger to its locking position. When the trainwhich is trailing the switch has completely passed the switch, themovable rails will slowly return to their normal positions under thebias of the spring connecting rod C, and against the retarding force ofthe builing device D. During this return movement of the movable rails,there will be no deflection of the rails, and the roller 48 will moveout of engagement with the cam face 3% and into engagement with the camface 39a beforethe movable rails reach their full normal positions inwhich the lock rod is in the proper position for the notch 24 to receivethe locking plunger 23. As soon as the roller 48 moves into engagementwith the cam face 39a, the spring 25 which biases the locking plunger toits locking position will again become efiective to assist the spring ofthe spring connecting rod in restoring the movable rails to theiroriginaltpositions, and will also act to cause the locking plunger 23to. move into engagement with the side of the lock rod until the notch24 moves into alignment with the lock rod. When this happens, the energystored in the spring means 25 will force the locking plunger into thenotch, and will thus restore the switch to its normal locked .position.i If the notch 24 in the lock rod should not come into alignment withthe locking plunger, a suitable indication of this fact will be given byindication means forming no part of my present invention, and thereforenot shown in the drawings.

As was pointed out hereinbefore, the switch layout shown in Fig. l is aright-hand layout with the right-hand switch point normally closed. Whenit is desired to apply the switch operating mechanism to a right-handlayout with the righthand point normally open, this can be done byassembling the cam crank 39 in the cam crank stand with the cam faces38c and 39d'adjacent to the roller 48, as shown in Fig. 5, and. byreadjust.- ing the operating rod 29 relative to the switch basket 45 sothat when the switch points are, in their normally closed positions, thepin 33 will align with the holes 31d in the crank stand casting 3|. Thisadjustment places pivot pin 44 in approximate alignment with hole 3170for this type of layout.

With the parts arranged as shown in Fig. 5 when a train trails theswitch, the switch operating rod 29 is pushed to the right so thatroller48 operates the 'cam crank 39 by pushing against cam surface 39c.Theoperation of the cam crank in this manner acts through the link '28,turnbuckle 21 and plunger bolt 26 to move the looking plunger to itsunlocking position, and also causes the cam faces 39d to assume aposition in which it is parallel to the path of movement of the roller48. Upon the completion of the unlocking stroke of the locking plunger,the roller 48 is in engagement with the cam face 39d, and since it isthen parallel with the path of movement of'the roller, no furtherrotation of the cam crank takes place and the locking plunger thereuponremains stationary until the train has completed its trailing movementand the switch points have returned to Withina relatively short distanceof their normally closed. positions. It follows, therefore, that theoperation of the apparatus when the cam crank is assembled as shown inFig.5 is essentially the same as when it is assembled as shown in Fig.1.

When it is desired to apply the switch operating mechanism B to aleft-hand switch layout with the left-hand point normally closed, thecrank is assembled in the crank stand with the cam faces 39a and 39badjacent to the roller 48, as showninFigs. 2, 3 and 4,,but the crankstand is secured to the gage plate with the side of the crank standcasting which is the upper side in Fig. 1 as the lower side, as shown inFig. 6. Likewise, when it is desired to apply the switch operatingmechanism B to a left-hand layout with the right-hand point normallyclosed, the crank is assembled in the crank stand in the position inwhich the faces 39c and 39d are adjacent to the roller 48, but the crankstand is turned now from the position shown in Fig. 5, as is illustratedin Fig. 7. The operation of the apparatus as a whole with either ofthese latter assemblies will be apparent from the foregoing and from aninspection of the drawings without further detail description.

It will be seen from the foregoing that for closed point layouts camcrank 39 is assembled so that the roller 48 will cooperate with the camfaces 39a. and 3%, whereas for open point layouts the cam crank isassembled so that the roller 48 will cooperate with the cam faces 39dand 39e. Furthermore, for closed point layouts the operating rod. 29 isadjusted so that roller 48 aligns axially with the holes 3l7 when theswitch points are in their normally closed positions, but for open pointlayouts the operating rod 29 is adjusted so that roller 48 will alignaxially with the holes 3l7c when the switches are in their normallyclosed positions.

It should also be pointed out that a cam crank stand constructed inaccordance with my invention besides eliminating oscillation of thelocking plunger while a train is trailing the switch, acts to reduce theplunger motion associated with the slight motion of the switch railswhich occurs under traffic passing on the switch lead when the switch isin its normal position. The bell crank which was heretofore used inplace of the cam crank 39 and roller 48 to transmit motion from the tierod 8 to the locking plunger to unlock the switch usually had either a 2to 1 or a 1 /2 to 1 ratio of plunger'travel to tie rod travel, and theseratios were necessarily in eiIect in all plunger positions. The camcrank 39 of my crank stand CS, however, is so proportioned that it givesa ratio of plunger travel to tie rod travel which varies through theplunger stroke. While in actual practice the ratio of the plunger travelto the rod travel with the cam crank averages 1% to l. in withdrawingthe locking plunger from its locking position the maximum amountnecessary to clear the lock rod, this ratio is only about 1%; to 1 whenthe switch points approach their normally closed positions.

Thus A of lateral ,motion of the tie rod 8 undertraffic passing over thenormally closed point would heretofore have produced A; or T33", motionof the plunger when a bell crank lever is used in place of the cam crankstand. With the cam crank lever stand this same motion of the normallyclosed point will produce only motion. This is important due to theresultant reduction in wear of the parts and in providing improvedoperation of the parts generally. I

Although I have herein shown and described spirit and scope of myinvention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:v

1. In combination with a spring switch biased by spring means to a setposition, locking mechanism for locking the switch in its set positionscomprising a locking plunger biased to a locking position, and means foractuating said plunger to an unlocking position when a train trails theswitch comprising'a cam crank stand, a cam crank pivotally supported insaid stand and operatively connected with said locking plunger, and anoperating rod actuated by a trailing train and provided with a rollercooperating with cam surfaces provided on said cam crank, said cam crankbeing provided with two separate sets of cam surfaces and being capableof being assembled in said stand in two positions in one of which theone set of cam surfaces cooperates with said roller and in the other ofwhich the other set of surfaces cooperates with said roller, the one setof cam surfaces being adapted to provide theproper movement of saidcrank to move the locking plunger to its unlocking position when saidstand is mounted on the normally open point side of said switch and theother set of cam surfaces being adapted to provide the proper movementof said crank to move the locking plunger to its unlocking position whensaid stand is mounted on the normally closed point side of said switch.

2. In combination with a spring switch biased by spring means to a setposition, locking mechanism for locking the switch in its set positioncomprising a locking plunger biased to a looking position, and means foractuating said plunger to an unlocking position when a train trails theswitch comprising a cam crank stand adapted to be mounted on either sideof said switch and constructed to be disposed with one face 'down whenmounted on one side of said switch and with the other face down whenmounted on the other side of said switch, a cam crank pivotally mountedin said crank stand and operatively connected with said locking plunger,said cam crank being capable of being assembled in said stand in eitherone of two positions and being provided with two cam faces, and anoperating rod actuated by a trailing train and provided with meanscooperating with one cam face or the other to actuate said crank inresponse to actuation of said rod according as said crank is assembledin said stand in the one or the other of said two positions, the onesaid cam face being adapted to provide the proper movement of said crankto move the locking plunger to its unlocking position when said stand ismounted on the normally open point side of the switch and the other saidcam face being adapted to provide the proper movement of said crank tomove the locking plunger to its unlocking position when said stand ismounted on the normally closed point side of the switch.

3. In combination with a spring switch biased by spring means to a setposition, locking mechanism for locking the switch in its set positioncomprising a locking plunger biased to a lockin position, and means foractuating said plunger to an unlocking position when a train trails theswitch comprising a cam crank stand; a cam crank pivotally supported insaid stand and operatively connected with said locking plunger, and anoperating rod actuated by a trailing train and provided with a rollercooperating with cam surfaces provided on said cam crank, said cam crankbeing provided with two cam surfaces and being capable of beingassembled in said stand in two positions in one of which the one camsurface cooperates with said roller and in the other of which the othercam surface cooperates with said roller, the one cam surface beingadapted to provide the proper movement of said crank to move the lockingplunger to its unlocking position when said stand is mounted in thenormally open point side of said switch and the other cam surface beingadapted to provide the proper movement of said crank to move the lockingplunger to its unlocking position when said stand is mount- M ed in thenormally closed point side of the switch.

4. In combination with a spring switch biased by spring means to a setposition, locking mechanism for locking the switch in its set positioncomprising a locking plunger biased to a locking position, and means foractuating said plunger to an unlocking position when a train trails theswitch comprising a tie rod connected with the movable rails of saidswitch intermediate the heel and the toe of the switch, a cam crankstand adapted to be mounted on either side of said switch andconstructed to be disposed with one face down when mounted on one sideof said switch and with the other face down when mounted on the otherside of said switch, a cam crank pivotally mounted in said crank standand operatively connected with said locking plunger, said cam crankbeing capable of being assembled in said stand in either one of twopositions and being provided with two cam faces, and an operating rodadjustably connected atone end with said tie rod and provided at theother end with a roller guided in said stand in a position for'saidroller to cooperate with one cam face or the other to actuate said crankin response to actuation of said operating rod according as said crankis assembled in said stand inthe one or the other of said two positions,the one said cam face being adapted to provide the proper movement ofsaid crank to move the locking plunger to its unlocking position whensaid stand is mounted on the normally openpoint side of the switch andthe-other said cam face being adapt-- ed to provide the proper movementofsaid crank Y heel andthe toe of the switch, a cam crank stand adaptedto be mounted on either side of said switch and constructed to bedisposed with one face down when mounted on one side of said switch andwith the other face down when mounted on the other side of said switch,a cam crank pivotally mounted in said crank stand and. operativelyconnected with said locking plunger, said cam crank being capable ofbeing assembled in said stand in either one of two positions and beingprovided with two cam faces, and an operating rod adjustably connectedat one end with said tie'rod and provided at the other end with a rollerguided insaid'stand in a position for'said roller to cooperate with onecam face or the other to actuate said crank in response-to actuationof'said operating: rod according as said crank is assembled in saidstandin the one or the other of said two positions, the one said camface being adapted to provide the proper movement of said crank to movethe locking plunger to its unlockingposition when said stand is mountedon the normally open point side of the switch and the other said camface being-adapted to provide the proper movement of said crank to movethe locking plunger tov its unlocking position when said stand ismounted on the normally closed point side of the switch, and holes insaid stand acting as indices. for positioning said roller relative tosaid cam crank by' adjustment of said: operating rod relative to saidtierod' when the switch points arein their normal positions.

6; A camcrank stand for actuating afirst rod in response to actuationof' a second rod, said stand comprising a casting, a cam crank pivotedat one end on a first pivot pin mounted in said casting and pivotallyconnected at its other end with said first rod, guides in said castingadjacent one side of said crank, rollers journaled on a second pivot pinmounted in one end of said second rod and cooperating'with said guidesto guide said one end of said second rod for longitudinal slidingmovement, another" roller pivoted on said second pivot pin and;cooperating with camsurfaces provided on the contiguous edge of'saidcamcrank, said cam'crank being capable of'being' assembled on said firstpivot pin with either edge contiguous to said roller and being providedwith cam surfaces on each edge, the cam surfaces on one edge beingadapted when in position to cooperate with said other roller to producea predetermined rotation of said crank in response to a predeterminedinitial movement of said second rod in one direction and to permitadditional movement of said second rod. in said one direction withoutcausing additional movement of said crank, and the cam surfaces on theother edge being adapted when in position to cooperate with said otherroller to produce a predetermined rotation of said crank in response toa predetermined initial movement of said second rod in the. otherdirection and to permit additional movement of said second: rod in saidother direction without causing additional movement of said crank.

HERBERT L. BONE.

